Use bountiful summer fruit in jellies, jams

MRT

Published 7:13 am, Tuesday, June 18, 2013

If you have been to our local farmer's market, you have seen delicious fresh fruits for sale. Perhaps you have fruit trees at home that are overflowing and you are not sure to do with the bounty. Save your summer fruit to enjoy throughout the year by making jelly, jam or preserves.

All that is required is a little bit of time and a few kitchen utensils. First, you need a round metal rack that will fit in the bottom of a large pot. The pot is for boiling the water when you sterilize your jars and utensils and the jars will stand on the rack. The pot needs to be at least three inches taller than your jars.

Glass canning jars come in all sizes. If you are reusing jars, make sure they do not have chips or cracks. Preserving or canning jars are usually topped with a two-piece lid. This type is best for canning because they vacuum seal when processed. You also will need another large, heavy bottomed nonreactive pot, canning tongs, a plastic spoon and a ladle.

Of course, always follow any canning and processing instructions that are included on your recipe or in the canning jars. Before starting, you might want to refer to the USDA guidelines about the sterilization of canned products at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.

Pepper Jelly

From "The Farmer's Daughters"

1 cup ground bell pepper

2 Tablespoons ground hot peppers

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

6 1/2 cups sugar

1 (6-ounce) bottle liquid fruit pectin

Green food coloring

Mix everything except fruit pectin in saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat and add fruit pectin, stirring until mixture starts to jell. Pour into sterile jelly jars and seal. (This is good spooned over a brick of cream cheese and served with ginger snaps).

Peach Preserves

From "Country Living Recipes"

3 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups water

5 cups sliced peaches (about 5 large)

Combine sugar and water in a large Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Add peaches; bring to a boil and cook 20 minutes or until peaches are clear, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place.

Place the figs in a large pot, pour the sugar over the figs, cover and let the figs sit overnight. Place the pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to low, add the lemon slices and cook for 2 hours or until the syrup is thick. Pack the figs and syrup in hot, sterilized jars and sterilize for 15 minutes according to the instructions included with the box of canning jars.

Skillet Strawberry Plum Jam

From Food Network Magazine

1 pound red plums

1 pound quartered strawberries

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup honey

Combine plums, strawberries, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon juice in a bowl. Cover and let stand 2 to 6 hours. Transfer to a large skillet. Add honey; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick and registers 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 30 minutes. Fill sterilized jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace, then seal and process for 15 minutes. Delicious on crusty baguettes or drizzled over vanilla ice cream.

In one saucepan, place blueberries, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup water and cook on medium high for 20 minutes. Strain with a cheesecloth or jelly bag.

In another saucepan, combine the peppers, vinegar, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 cup water. Cook on medium high for 20 minutes, then using a sieve, remove all the peppers from the liquid and set aside.

Combine both liquids into one of the pans, adding sugar. Cook on medium low until the sugar dissolves. Skim off any foam from the surface. Bring mix to a boil and add 1 box pectin and bring to a rolling boil for one minute. Remove from heat, skim off any foam and ladle into sterilized jelly jars and place lids tightly on the jars.

Boil in a hot water bath (with 1-2 inches of water over the lids) for 5 minutes. Set on counter to cool and to set. Listen for the lids to pop. They could pop anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 hours afterward. If they do not pop, they are not sealed and will need to be refrigerated and used immediately.

Pear Preserves

From "Tea-Time at the Masters"

8 pounds pears

1 lemon, thinly sliced

5 pounds sugar

Peel pears. Chip into pieces about the size of a large pecan half. Scatter lemon slices over pears and cover with sugar. Let stand overnight stirring occasionally. Next day, bring pears to a boil stirring often. Cook over medium heat stirring often until syrup drips in 2 parallel drops from the side of a spoon. Ladle into hot sterilized jars and seal. Yields: 6 to 8 pints.